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The car featured in this article is a stunning 1974 DeTomaso Pantera GTS. The DeTomaso Pantera was originally introduced in Modena, Italy and was on display at the New York Auto Show in 1970.

The Pantera began as a joint venture between the Ford Motor Company and De Tomaso Automobili

The Pantera was initially designed to "Ford specification" for the average American driver and to a price point and level of trim that made it competitive in the American sports car market<

DeTomaso Modena S.p.A.

Although DeTomaso Modena S.p.A. is an Italian car company, Alejandro DeTomaso was not Italian, he was born in Argentina. His family was very wealthy; his father was a prominent politician and his mother was a member of the Ceballos family, one of Argentina's oldest and wealthiest families, with vast land holdings originally granted to the family by the King of Spain.

The logo DeTomaso used for his automobile company was a tribute to his home country of Argentina and his family heritage. The blue and white stripes of the logo's background are the colors of the national flag of Argentina. The symbol in the foreground that looks like a letter "T" is the branding symbol of the Ceballos estate where Alejandro grew up.

Today De Tomaso Automobili S.p.A. operates as an automaker for prototypes and sports cars. Their product line still includes the two-door, mid-engine Vallelunga, Mangusta and Pantera.

The First DeTomaso

The Vallelunga was the first DeTomaso car made, right before the Mangusta. It was the comapany's first road going model. It is thought that only a few dozen Vallelungas survive today, their ownership being a worldwide but small group of enthusiasts.

The DeTomaso Pantera

The DeTomaso Pantera is a mid-engine automobile that was produced by the DeTomaso car company in Italy from 1971-1991. During this two decade run there were 7,000 units built. The Pantera was designed by the firm, Ghia, and replaced the Mangusta model. Ghia stylist Tom Tjaarda styled the new supercar, and Giam Paolo Dallara was engaged for chassis and production design. The Pantera is a true supercar and is considered one of the finest ever produced.

Imported to the U.S. By Ford Motor Company

Ford was in need of a sport car to compete directly with the Chevy Corvette and import automobiles like Ferrari. Before Ford became involved with DeTomaso and the Pantera they had tried and failed to buy Ferrari. This new relationship gave Lee Iacocca and Ford a mid-engine sports car.

Ford imported a little over 1,000 Pantera's for the 1971 model year. The Pantera's were built with Ford's "Cleveland" 351 V-8's. The cars were placed on display and sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealers. Ford sold about 5,500 units before they ceased importation at the end of 1974. At that point DeTomaso took over the Pantera project himself and production continued for markets other that the U.S.

Three years after the model's introduction, by 1974, several improvements had been made to the Pantera but none was more essential than the addition of the Ford 351 Cleveland V-8 engine with four-bolt mains, a higher-performance cam and reduced compression to comply with U.S. emission standards.

1974 DeTomaso Pantera GTS Specifications

Engine on the 74 Pantera was a Ford "Cleveland" 351 Four Barrel V-8 delivering 325 horsepower. Zero to 60 was rated at 6.5 sec.

The book DeTomaso Pantera by author David Adler is an excellent picture book on all of the models.

Pantera dashboard

DeTomaso Pantera Collector Cars

Pantera's have been steadily increasing in value. These American/Italian supercars are considered very rare and have increased much in popularity. Ford had originally wanted 5,000 Pantera's imported per year but for a variety of reasons they never received near that amount. One reason was that the German company supplying the gearboxes could not produce the numbers needed. For both DeTomaso and for the gearbox supplier this high volume of production asked for by Ford was totally new.

The new car price for a 1974 model GTS was about $15,500.

As of this writing, valuations for the 1974 DeTomaso Pantera GTS range from about $50,000 to $125,000, low to high retail.

For DeTomaso Pantera enthusiasts, owners or prospective owners, plenty of information including forums, news and more can be found at www.poca.com This is the site for the Pantera Owners Club of America.

The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was a two door luxury car produced from 1970 through the 2007 model year. The Monte Carlo however was discontinued after 1988 but the nameplate was revived in 1995.

The race car version of the Chevy Monte Carlo was a strong competitor with many wins on the NASCAR stock car circuit.

1977 Chevy Monte Carlo

Even with the seven year production hiatus, the Chevy Monte Carlo obviously had a very long run lasting through six generations. The Chevy Monte Carlo came into production during the muscle car era, prior to the federal regulations on environment and safety. Right from the start the Chevrolet Monte Carlo offered both personal luxury and performance and it promised to be a winner for Chevrolet.

The 1977 Second Generation Chevy Monte Carlo

Our featured automobile is the 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo. Chevrolet marketed their 1977 model as a luxury car with a great many advantages. Long service intervals was one. Chevy also touted the Monte Carlo as having several accident prevention features such as side marker lights, better rear view mirror widths, double master cylinder brakes and more.

77 Monte Carlo dashboard

A Mid Size Bigger than a Full Size

The 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo was also touted for it's size and comfort. The 1977 Monte Carlo was considered a midsize automobile. With that being said, the car was larger in all dimensions than the full-size Caprice and Impala. Blame the difference on the oil embargo which cut down their size. The oil embargo would hit the Chevy Monte Carlo for the 1978 model year.

Few Changes for 1977

The 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo was in it's eight model year as a personal luxury car. Sales were going well. The Monte Carlo looked pretty good. Buyers had the choice of a base coupe or a Landau. They were stylish and sleek. In addition to that they had amenities that would bring in buyers of both family cars and sports/muscle car enthusiasts. Not a bad appeal base.

There were no significant design change for the 1977 Monte Carlo. Changes that were made included grilles that were now divided into small segments..a new hood ornament which now carried the Monte Carlo crest. Widened taillights sat lower on the rear panel and were horizontally segmented. Options for 1977 included a padded vinyl roof, sport mirrors, Turbine II wheels, and Rally wheels. The Landau coupes had pinstriping and a vinyl half-roof.

1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Specifications

For this model year there was a choice of two engines for the Monte Carlo. These were a 305 cubic inch V-8 delivering 145 HP. The other a Turbo-Fire 350 cubic inch V-8 putting out 170 HP. There had been a 400 cubic inch V-8 option but this was dropped for the 1977 models.

For 1977 the base engine was a 305. The 350 was available in either a two or four barrel option. A V-6 was added for the 1978 model year.

Transmission was a three speed Turbo Hydra-Matic. In 1977 the Turbo automatic was standard equipment. A four speed manual was available.

Total 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo production was 411,000 units. This was about 65,000 more units than in 1976.

The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was eventually discontinued after the 2007 model year. As with some other models that started out as performance based vehicles, they were eventually changed to conform to fuel economy standards. Design also suffered as more resources were channeled to fuel efficiency goals.

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Without a doubt the early first generation Chevy Monte Carlo is the car of first choice for auto enthusiasts. The Monte Carlo is not an expensive car. Current valuations for top condition restored 1970 (first year) models can range from approximately $18,000 to $22,000. The same appears to hold true for the 1971 model.

Starting with 1973, the Chevy Monte Carlo valuations start coming down to the $12,000 to $14,000 range. This again are for models that are in superb condition and most likely fully restored originals.

Chevrolet introduced the Camaro model in the fall of 1966 as a 1967 model. This car was designed and built as a direct answer to the popular Ford Mustang that came out a few years earlier. The car featured in this article is a 1973 Chevy Camaro Z/28 RS.

1973 Chevy Camaro Z/28 RS

The Chevrolet Camaro's / First and Second Generations

In a way, the first generation Camaro's should not have been the design success they were. This is primarily because they were rushed to market.

Interestingly enough, when the Camaro debuted, it essentially had the same specs as the Ford Mustang. Chevrolet answered the Mustang with virtually the same formula. This included the same chassis, wheelbase and powertrain. About as close as you could get.

Following is a comparison between the 69 Camaro and the 69 Mustang..Wheelbase- Camaro 108.1 inches...Mustang 108.0 inches. Overall length- Camaro 186.0 inches...Mustang 183.6 inches. Weight- Camaro about 2,900 lbs on average…Mustang 2,750 lbs on average. Engines- Camaro’s two highest performance engines were the 396 and the 427 cubic inch V-8′s…Mustang offered a variety of engines, the two largest being a 390 and a 428 Cobra Jet. The Ford Mustang that year also had a 429 cubic inch Boss 429 which was a rare engine.

The Chevy Camaro followed the long hood short deck Mustang formula but in a swoopier fashion.The first generation Camaro offered a wide range of engine choices and a long list of available options. One example was the 1967 396 cubic inch “big block” convertible.

The 1973 Chevy Camaro was a second generation Camaro. Second generations Camaro's starting in 1970 had an entirely new body design.There was much more time for design planning on the 1970 Camaro. The second generation models had their own dedicated chassis.

Our featured vehicle comes with three option packages. This includes the Rally Sport split bumper nose...the LT luxury touring package...and the Z/28 special performance package. An interesting observation is that the second generation Camaro was not rushed to market like the first generation model which needed to hit the showrooms fast to compete against the Ford Mustang.

The 1973 Chevrolet Camaro continued to drop in power and performance. This was the case with many automobiles during the 1970's primarily due to new emission control and safety standards. Impact absorbing front bumpers were added per the new safety regulations. Use of SAE net horsepower numbers also lowered published HP ratings.

The SuperSport (SS) trim was no longer offered but a new LT option was made available. The LT package however was focused on internal luxury rather than performance. What the LT package offered was a more luxurious, quieter interior, full instrumentation, Rallye styled wheels, “hidden” wipers, sport mirrors and variable-ratio steering plus some other upgrades.available upgrades.

1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Specifications

The engine on our featured model is a 350 cubic inch V-8. Horsepower rated at 245. The Z/28 was rated at 6.7 seconds on the Zero to 60. The quarter mile at 15.2 seconds. For 1973 the big block 396 cubic inch engine was no longer available.

Dimensions include an overall length of 188.5 inches, a width of 74.4 inches, a height of 49.1 inches and a wheelbase of 108.0 inches. Weight varies depending on options but average weight woukld be about 3275 lbs.

Total 1973 Chevy Camaro production was 96,750 units.

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Chevy Camaro muscle cars were and still are very popular among collectors. Any time you speak of Pony Cars which began around the mid 1960's, you have to differentiate between those prior to federal emission and safety regulations and those produced after.

First generation Camaro's are the most coveted models mostly because of the historical aspect and of the horsepower available. In respect to the second generation models, horsepower continued to be trimmed down. The 245 horsepower offered with the 73 Camaro was 10 HP less than the 72 model.

73 Camaro Z/28 RS dashboard

Production was higher for the 73 model primarily due to a worker's strike in Detroit that decimated 72 production. 1972 Chevy Camaro's are obviously more rare and may garner higher valuations.

Current valuations for the 1973 Chevrolet Camaro based on various pricing publications put the Z/28 in a range of about $15,000 TO $29,000 for very good to great condition models. The 73 coupe models are about one-third less. As a comparison, the 1972 Chevy Camaro Z/28 is currently valued about ten percent higher than the 73's. Coupe models for both years are about the same.